Startups play a key role in country’s economic growth strategy as this segment would create new skilled jobs and help address the challenge of jobless growth and loss of low-skilled jobs to automation in the industry.
“The Indian startup movement has a very unique energy, vibrancy and dynamism, which you will not find in any of the established players, as startup founders, their dynamic teams and their financiers are the real change-makers. The extent of innovation taking place and the pace of growth in the startup segment is massive.” Said Dr Harjinder Kaur Talwar , Chair, Startup20 inclusion track and past president FLO while delivering key note speech at FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) start-up conclave .
“’he momentum of the ‘startup India’ initiative that started around 2016 has exceeded expectations. “It has been a phenomenal story,” he said. In the past few years, the Indian startup ecosystem has not only matured but has grown by leaps and bounds” Dr Talwar said
“FLO has been impacting and transforming the lives of women across the nation since last 40 years of its existence. FLO Start up Cell, led by its chair the visionary Dr. Aarti Gupta and supported by the dedicated National Team including Priya Goutham, Priyanka Gulati, Simran Sahni, Pooja Arambhan, Phani Trivedi, and Anupama Modi have resulted in 175 programs across India, training 480 entrepreneurs under the collaboration with She Rises, providing 486 hours of mentoring, engaging 93 Angel Investors, conducting FLO Conclaves in 10 cities other than Delhi, organizing 12 B2B and B2C exhibitions, conducting 28 workshops, with a total impact reaching 14309 women entrepreneurs.” Said Ms Sudha Shivkumar, National President , FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) .
“From providing training and mentoring to aspiring women entrepreneurs to advocating for policy changes that promote gender equality in the workplace, FLO has been instrumental in creating a conducive environment for women to thrive professionally. Overall, FICCI FLO’s work is deeply rooted in the belief that empowering women is not just a moral imperative but also an economic necessity.” Ms Shiv Kumar said .
“Economically, India’s stride towards becoming a $5 trillion economy is not just about the numbers. It’s the metamorphosis in country’s entrepreneurial landscape that’s truly electrifying. Within this shifting paradigm, the role of women is witnessing a monumental transformation. We are no longer boxed into traditional roles or tethered by societal expectations. Today’s women are not just participants but pioneers, leaders, and game-changers.” Said Dr. Aarti Gupta, National Chair, FLO Startup cell.
“At FLO Startups, we recognize the need for women to be on the other side of the table too, as investors. So, within our 11,000 membership, we also have some experienced and successful entrepreneurs whom we are helping to train and assist to create a body of women mentors & angel investors. FLO Entrepreneurs – A hallmark of our efforts is the introduction of the SheRises program in collaboration with STEP. This groundbreaking initiative is tailored to uplift and empower women entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, including homepreneurs, mompreneurs, MSMEs, SMEs, and solopreneurs.” Dr Gupta added .
“We successfully launched SheRises in 15 chapters where we received over 1,400 women applying for the program, out of which 480 received an 8-week training on critical topics such as company registration, digital marketing, branding strategies, and more. In addition to this, 400+ hours of mentoring were provided to them, along with the opportunity to display and participate in exhibitions and conclaves to showcase their companies to B2B and B2C. Another highlight for the year was our partnership with Stanford Seed Spark, which has further enriched our community by granting access to Stanford University’s renowned expertise.” She added . During the conclave various FLO chapters, mentors and startups were awarded with certificates
